Author: Venla Kujala, summer trainee
Mika Järvinen has worked at Kiilto for 26 years. His long career has provided a perspective on how production, work community and management have developed over the years. Today, Mika works as a Team Leader in dispersion production and, together with his team, is responsible for ensuring that products are manufactured safely, with high quality and on schedule.
Safety and responsibility as part of everyday life
Safety is an everyday thing in Mika’s work, and he considers employees to be the most important factors in safety work.
– Employees are key. People in my own team are very active in making observations and highlighting areas for development. Based on the observations, we can continuously make small but significant improvements, he says.
In addition, measures related to making machines safer and risk assessments are currently being carried out in production. The goal is, of course, zero accidents.
According to Mika, Kiilto’s safety is particularly evident in environmental matters, safety and the well-being of its personnel.
Environmental responsibility is evident in, among other things, the recycling of materials, packaging solutions, the utilization of bio-raw materials and the minimization of the use of washing water. At the same time, more investment is being made in occupational well-being and occupational safety.
– Responsibility is part of everyday work. It is evident in environmental matters as well as in how we take care of people and a safe working environment.
The core of the work remains the same, the operating methods have been renewed
Although the basis of production work has remained largely the same, digitalisation and new systems have significantly changed the everyday work. Previously, work was done using paperwork orders, while today employees are responsible for many electronic records and production monitoring themselves.
During his long career, Mika has also seen changes in management. According to him, employee well-being, participation and responsibility for their own work have been emphasised especially in the last ten years, which is reflected in positive commitment and active development.
Working together keeps motivation high
According to Mika, the most rewarding aspect of work is found in the people and shared successes.
– The best thing about my job is my own team. It’s great to see people achieve their goals and develop. When the products are manufactured and packaged on time, we know that we have succeeded in our basic task.
As a supervisor, Mika feels that his most important task is to ensure that the team members have the best possible conditions to carry out their own work.
– I strive to do everything I can to ensure that the team’s everyday life runs as smoothly as possible. When I feel that I have managed to do that, that is the most meaningful thing to me.
Even after a long career, Mika enjoys his work very much. The biggest reason is the work community.
– We have a close-knit team, and I like being able to interact with people. Working together is what makes the work meaningful year after year.
The development of technology and possibilities of artificial intelligence, for example, are also of interest with a view to the future, although their role in everyday production is still quite small for now.
However, one thing has remained constant throughout my career: the best results come from collaboration.
– When people succeed together, the whole team succeeds.